Textile Art

A Smithsonian Magazine Best History Book of 2024 A Library Journal Selection for Best Nonfiction of 2024 A Next Big Idea Book Club Must-Read for April “Aarathi Prasad’s Silk: A World History is a love song to this protean material. . . . Beautiful [and] fascinating.” —Wall Street Journal...

In the 1970s, Paris fashion exploded like a champagne bottle left out in the sun. Amid sequins and longing, celebrities and aspirants flocked to the heart of chic, and Paris became a hothouse of revelry, intrigue, and searing ambition. At the center of it all were fashion’s most beloved luminaries - Yves Saint Laurent, the reclusive enfant terrible, and Karl Lagerfeld, the flamboyant freelancer with a talent for reinvention - and they divided Paris into two fabulous halves.

“This is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare… A proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement.” —William Dalrymple, The Guardian The epic history of the crossroads of the world—the meeting place of East and West and the birthplace of...

Claire Wilcox has been a curator of fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum for most of her working life. In Patch Work, she steps into the archive of memory, deftly stitching together her dedicated study of fashion with the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. From her mother's black wedding suit to the swirling patterns of her own silk kimono, her memoir unfolds in spare, luminous prose the spellbinding power of the things we wear.

A “fascinating” (New York Times Book Review) investigation into the human and environmental cost of fast fashion and global supply chains—and what we can actually do to enact change “A glimpse into how consumerism, slowed to a less ferocious pace, might be reconciled with sustainability...

A Silent Spring for your wardrobe, To Dye For is a jolting exposé that reveals the true cost of the toxic, largely unregulated chemicals found on most clothing today. Many of us are aware of the ethical minefield that is fast fashion: the dodgy labor practices, the lax environmental standards...

The Wardrobe Project is your guide to gently shifting your spending habits and finding confidence within yourself instead of searching for it on a rack. It might even tempt you to take on the no-buy challenge as you discover your inner brilliance, without the need to add to cart.

McQueen had risen from humble beginnings as the youngest child of an East London taxi driver to scale the heights of fame, fortune and glamour. He designed clothes for the world's most beautiful women, including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. In business he created a multimillion-pound luxury brand that became a favourite with both celebrities and royalty, most famously the Duchess of Cambridge, who wore a McQueen dress on her wedding day. But behind the confident facade and bad-boy image lay a sensitive soul who struggled to survive in the ruthless world of fashion.

Embark on a journey into the enchanting world of textiles with "Warp and Weft Wonders," your comprehensive guide to the timeless craft of weaving. Whether you're a novice entranced by the rhythm of the loom, or a seasoned weaver seeking to broaden your tapestry of skills, this cutting-edge eBook ushers you into a haven of creativity and innovation in the art of interlacing threads. Dive into 'Discovering the Loom,' the first chapter, which seamlessly introduces you to the essential weaving tools, setting the stage for a flourishing weaving practice. Greet each chapter with anticipation as ...

A classic tale of personal transformation amid a stunning backdrop of old world glamour and current high style, Betty Halbreich moves from a trapped woman to a ferociously independent icon Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is a true original. A tough broad who could have stepped straight out...

Slaves to Fashion is a cultural history of the black dandy, from his emergence in Enlightenment England to his contemporary incarnations in the cosmopolitan art world. Interpreting performances and representations of black dandyism in particular cultural settings and literary and visual texts, Monica L. Miller emphasizes the importance of sartorial style to black identity formation in the Atlantic diaspora.

Abandoned at six months old and raised in a religious home, Jen Principe had a less-than-glamorous childhood. Her father’s romantic entanglement with their housekeeper triggered a web of lies and over a decade of physical abuse, with Jen as the one-and-only target. But there was one constant in her life: fashion. Using her wardrobe as an outlet, Jen masked her adolescent trauma at home by changing her identity with different clothing trends. Learning the powerful psychological impact behind what we wear ultimately led to her dream job as a celebrity fashion stylist.

Look closely at any typically "American" article of clothing these days, and you may be surprised to see a Japanese label inside. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese designers have taken the classic American look - known as ametora, or "American traditional" - and turned it into a huge business for companies like Uniqlo, Kamakura Shirts, Evisu, and Kapital. This phenomenon is part of a long dialogue between Japanese and American fashion.

Unveil the secrets of textile transformation with "Color Craft," your comprehensive guide to the vibrant world of dyeing and finishing. Begin your adventure in "Color Craft" with a solid foundation—a thorough exploration of textile coloration and finishing awaits in the opening chapter. You'll gain insights into the essential techniques that form the bedrock of all textile crafts. Grasp the nuances of different dyeing technologies, and learn how finishing processes add that professional touch to your personal gear. Ready to get hands-on? "Color Craft" guides you through the practical art ...

Personal stylist Allison Bornstein has mastered the art of helping people look good and feel good. In Wear It Well, she shares her philosophy and outlines systems that will bring your style into alignment and create a wardrobe that delights your spirit.

The Nature of Fashion is an epic sweep through history, revealing how plants have been used to make and dye our clothes. Textiles have transformed the human world–and the natural world. Now we need to re-root clothes-making in plants, rather than plastic, to find a new material future. Fashion is at a turning point–to look forward, we need to look back.

Twenty thousand years ago, women were making and wearing the first clothing created from spun fibers. In fact, right up to the Industrial Revolution the fiber arts were an enormous economic force, belonging primarily to women. Despite the great toil required in making cloth and clothing, most books on ancient history and economics have no information on them. Much of this gap results from the extreme perishability of what women produced, but it seems clear that until now descriptions of prehistoric and early historic cultures have omitted virtually half the picture.

In February 2011 John Galliano, the lauded head of Christian Dior, imploded with a drunken, anti-Semitic public tirade. Exactly a year earlier, celebrated designer Alexander McQueen took his own life three weeks before his women's wear show. Both were casualties of the war between art and commerce that has raged within fashion for the last two decades.

Crochet for Beginners Pursuing a hobby such as crochet can bring immense satisfaction, providing a good way of relaxing and unwinding from daily stress. However, do you have what it takes to start crocheting? If you are new to crochet, you might not know where to start, which is where this book comes in – serving as a good introduction for those who are eager to pursue this relaxing hobby. You’ll find out everything, starting from the early history of crochet and the way in which this hobby gained popularity, to the tools and materials you need in order to get started, alongside other ...

Brimming with rich, electrifying tales of the precious dye and its ancient heritage, Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan; Jewish "rag traders"; a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and African slaves - her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life.